http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN2ekGCj8vI
FS has music from Scheherazade
Pang struggled with all the SBS jumps falling on the triple toe and singling out both double axels
One thing that bugged me was that after the first ten seconds they don't look at each other until around a minute and 15 seconds into the program which is odd considering that Scheherazade is supposed to be seducing the Sultan with her beauty and her stories.
Throw 3S was nice. Throw 3Lo was okay but she was slightly off on the landing and didn't the beautiful exit that we normally see from her.
Big problem with the axel lift

Considering that it's their first comp since Worlds, I guess it wasn't terrible, but they are going to need to put a lot of work in technically and choreographically if they even want to beat Kavaguti and Smirnov.
Then again, they tend to have the most success during Olympic years. (World champs in 2006 and 2010)

Thanks for the video link. I thought that P/T were not competing at all this season. They will have to really focus on their training for Worlds if they want to catch up wth the top teams.

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They stated at the end of last year that they would skip the grand prix and just do words so that they could take a rest.

I want Pang to fix some of her lift positions. That hand to hand catchfoot position is really ugly especially since she has a nice line normally so she could do the basic position and make it much more beautiful.

I feel like they are very good, but they haven't kept with the trends especially since so many other teams are making drastic improvements and moving on.

Nan Song ended up finishing a close 2nd (152.55) to Han YAN (154.30) in the Men's free skate at China's 12th Winter National Games, a prestigious event held once every 4 years -- link to the event thread in Kiss and Cry for results/more videos: http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/showthread.php?t=81892

Yes, but the National Winter Games just took place several days ago and Zijun won the LP with a score of 125.56. Of course these are inflated scores, but she certainly is a bright spot in Chinese skating.

Yes, but the National Winter Games just took place several days ago and Zijun won the LP with a score of 125.56. Of course these are inflated scores, but she certainly is a bright spot in Chinese skating.

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She's very promising. She has triple flip triple toe and double axel triple toe double toe. She also has a beautiful back position on her layback. However, she needs more complex choreography if she wants to move up.

Li Zijun is China's best hope in the ladies by far. However, besides a horrible flutz, she also needs to fix her stylistic issues as well as those crossovers.

Yan Han is definitely a diamond in the rough. Throw in a good choreographer and he can be top 10 at Worlds already.

I am actually much more worried about pairs. P&T and Z&Z will likely be quite old by Sochi and S&H isn't quite soup yet. The sloppiness and technical issues with S&H can't exactly be fixed in 2 seasons.

If China has a decent dance team, it can totally qualify for the Sochi team event (although probably can't get past Russia, Canada, US etc) for a medal.

Kexin Zhang just scored a combined 162 at Four Continents on the weekend for 5th place overall. If she's going to Worlds, that would be on the cusp of the top 10, which would be great getting 2 entries for next year.

Interesting. She is currently 18th on the Seasons Best List going into Worlds and 7 of those above her aren't going. It would be great if Zhang Kexin could place top ten at Worlds. Not easy but definitely not impossible.

Currently the top ten looks like it's a battle between 2 Americans, 3 Russians, 3 Japanese, 1 Italian, 1 Finn and 1 Georgian. Zhang is going to have to be totally clean and hope for 2 ladies to bomb a little (possibly Elene G whose seasons best score is close to hers, or Makarova whose seasons best score is actually below hers).

It will be so GREAT if both Kexin and Song could make to top 10 at worlds, since the top juniors Zijun and Han Yan will also compete at senior level for next season and they surely will give a big threat to the veteran.

As for Song Nan, he is currently 12th on the season's best list, with 2 skaters ahead of him not going to Worlds (Plushenko and Oda), but there is also a bunch of skaters who are below him on the list but could possibly overtake him with a decent skate at Worlds (Verner, Rippon, Joubert etc).

As for Song Nan, he is currently 12th on the season's best list, with 2 skaters ahead of him not going to Worlds (Plushenko and Oda), but there is also a bunch of skaters who are below him on the list but could possibly overtake him with a decent skate at Worlds (Verner, Rippon, Joubert etc).

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It's highly unlikely he'll fall out of the Top 24 SB, though. Of the seniors, only three going to Worlds are within 10 points of his SB (Verner, Miner, Rippon), along with Yan Han (Jr. Worlds), and another four seniors (Van der Perren, Denis Ten, Contesti, and Joubert) and two juniors (Brown and Farris) are within 20 points of his SB.

Yes, but we are discussing whether he can make top ten (or twelve?) in Nice, allowing China to send 2 men to next Worlds. He appears to be right on the cusp, and will need to be clean at Worlds and hope for others to make some mistakes for him to make it - much like Zhang Kexin in the ladies.

And in some ways, with Han Yan and Li Zijun moving up to seniors next season, Song Nan and Zhang Kexin could very much be fighting a spot for themselves for next year.

Yes, but we are discussing whether he can make top ten (or twelve?) in Nice, allowing China to send 2 men to next Worlds. He appears to be right on the cusp, and will need to be clean at Worlds and hope for others to make some mistakes for him to make it - much like Zhang Kexin in the ladies.

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He'd likely need to match his SB (Cup of China) for the season -- his last two championships have gone the other way -- and he'd have to hope that Verner, Rippon, and Miner's momentum turns and that Joubert and Van der Perren don't come roaring back.

He should get two GP spots next year; almost every skater in the top 24 SB list was assigned two from the start for the last few years, even with the field reductions. He might have to wait for the Olympic year to compete again at Worlds, although he should be fine for 4C's, with three spots per nation. It's hard to imagine Han Yan not being top 10 next year, if he can skate the way he did at GPF while being that sick.

If Song can hit his money jumps and skate well at Worlds, he shouldn't have trouble making the top 12. If he doesn't deliver though, then he could easily be out of the top 12 and may end up in something like 20th place. His PCS are not great, when he skates really well they rise enough to be competitive (though still not as high as most of the others scoring in the same range), but when he doesn't have the TES to help him out, his scores plummet, and the judges don't hold him up in PCS. Clean Song can score close to 160 for his FS maybe, but with mistakes, and not even an epic bomb, just mistakes, he usually gets like 120. So from a numbers standpoint he could finish like anywhere from 3rd to 24th place.

Top 12 isn't relevant for earning two spots for China next season with one entry. It is only relevant for GP spots, but since he's unlikely to fall out of the Top 24 SB list due to his score at CoC, he will be guaranteed one spot, and there is over 95% likelihood (under the current rules and number of competitors) to earn two in the initial selection, because almost every skater/team guaranteed one has been assigned two over the last few years.

A single entry earns two spots only by placing in the Top 10. I think Marco's point is that nine of the Men on the SB's list ahead of him will compete at Nice, and that they will likely to place Top 10 there, leaving one spot left in the Top 10. If only one of the skaters below him on the SB list skates to his potential, Song is out of the Top 10, and Han Yan will likely be the Chinese entry in 2012-13.

Top 12 isn't relevant for earning two spots for China next season with one entry. It is only relevant for GP spots, but since he's unlikely to fall out of the Top 24 SB list due to his score at CoC, he will be guaranteed one spot, and there is over 95% likelihood (under the current rules and number of competitors) to earn two in the initial selection, because almost every skater/team guaranteed one has been assigned two over the last few years.

A single entry earns two spots only by placing in the Top 10. I think Marco's point is that nine of the Men on the SB's list ahead of him will compete at Nice, and that they will likely to place Top 10 there, leaving one spot left in the Top 10. If only one of the skaters below him on the SB list skates to his potential, Song is out of the Top 10, and Han Yan will likely be the Chinese entry in 2012-13.

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This makes sense. I'm sure Song can get 2 GPs, he'll have one guaranteed and then will get CoC regardless, meaning 2. Top 10 at Worlds will be tougher but it is possible, it all depends on how the others skate.